Hermana Jensen in Peru: Week 7

You can send letters to:
Hermana Charlotte Jensen
In care of President Edgar Rolando Silva
Jiron Cusco #278
Huancayo-Junin
Peru

Hola,

First week in Huancayo down! The 8 hour bus ride was beautiful but also very miserable. I ended up throwing up because of the altitude and having a massive headache that night.

My new companion is Hermana Spitale and she is an absoulte angel. When I first met her I thought she was a gringo so I started talking to her in english haha! She was very confused and said in spanish that she was actually from Argentina. I was worried at first about having an only spanish speaking companion but it is really helping me improve in the language. Our area is Mariscal Castila II and it is in the city of Huancayo. The other zones include Hanuco, La selva and Cerro de pasco i think.. Hermana Spitale is super patient with me. I ask her questions all the time and try to tell her stories about my life in spanish. I also teach her english. She knows some english pretty well. We have a pentionista who cooks for us named Hermana Blanca, and she is very sweet. She does not have very many teeth and I can barely understand her but she seems nice haha! .The first day I was here she blew up a bunch of balloons for me and made us a huge thing of jello. The food here is very good and my stomach has been doing ok. mas o menos haha.

Proselytizing is really great and easily the time I feel the happiest. There are so many people to remember! We have tons of investigators, recent converts, less actives and then there is the ward too. It is kind of overwhelming. Lots of people are willing to listen but I'm learning that people here are pretty flaky and bad at committing. But I can tell that the people here are so humble and loving and very religious too. My favorite so far was teaching a new investigator named Wendy the other day. It was the first time we met with her and she was just glowing when we gave her our mesasage. We asked her to be baptized and she just smiled and said yes I'd like that very much. Of course it hasn't all been like that and people are stubborn and don't want to listen or change sometimes and that is hard. Hermana Spitale has so much love for everyone we teach and her heart breaks every time someone does not want to accept our message. I really look up to her for that and want to get to that point on my mission. She told me the most important thing to do is to love the people you are teaching, because if that comes first, you will know how to reach the hearts of the people. I am basically immersed in spanish and it is been pretty overwhelming/ I'm trying to just be proud of where I am right now. Life here is very different, with some crazy thunderstorms haha but it is so fun, even when it is hard sometimes! I love you all and miss you lots. I know that the message I am sharing blesses lives and that the Book of Mormon is true!

Love, Hermana Charlotte Jensen